In 1954, the CIA orchestrated a covert operation known as Operation PBSuccess, which overthrew the democratically elected government of Guatemala led by Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán. Using a rebel army of approximately 500 men led by Carlos Castillo Armas, the CIA launched a propaganda campaign and armed insurrection against Árbenz. The CIA provided air support, weapons, training, and funding to the rebels. The intervention was motivated by the United States' fear of Soviet influence in Guatemala and Árbenz's land reform policies, which threatened the interests of the United Fruit Company. The coup succeeded in deposing Árbenz and installing a military dictatorship in Guatemala, leading to decades of political instability and human rights violations.
